Google Glass coming to consumers this year for under $1,500

Those who are waiting for the hotly anticipated Google Glass, the wearable computing gadget from Google, should start saving money for it now.

Google is planning to release a “fully polished” version of the smart eyeglasses for consumers before the end of the year, according to The Verge’s Josh Topolsky, who was able to extensively test out the gadget recently. Google also indicated that it would cost less than the $1,500 price tag that developers and creative types can spend to get an advanced version and that its pricing would be more in line with a new top-model smartphone.

Google Glass does many of the same things you do with your smartphone, such as snapping pictures, recording video, displaying augmented reality user interfaces (such as driving directions) and communicating with others. Also, the device can connect with your smartphone’s (iPhone or Android) cellular data network via Bluetooth, so you can stay connected anywhere. (Previously, some speculated that Google Glass would only work with smartphones running Google’s native operating system, Android, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. At least according to The Verge’s report.)

The tentative consumer release time frame for Google Glass is sooner than the 2014 general product launch timeline stated by Google cofounder Sergey Brin last summer. Obviously, Google is aggressively pursuing its goal of being the first major manufacturer to get into the wearable computing gadget market, especially since rivals Microsoft and Apple are also rumored to be working on a product of their own.